John Terry admits England's absence from Euro 2008 was the 'kick up the backside' the players needed.
Euro absence spurred players into action
John Terry admits England's absence from Euro 2008 was the 'kick up the backside' the players needed.
Flourishing under Fabio Capello - England have won all seven of their World Cup qualifiers to date.
Now, on the brink of securing passage to South Africa, Terry explains how the Italian's work ethic has brought about a complete transformation.
Forced to watch a series of video nasties from Capello, the players have pulled together to put behind them that ill-fated era under Steve McClaren.
Encouragement
"Not being in the Euros gave us all a kick up the backside which maybe we needed," said Terry.
"We were not playing well and we all admitted that. Now things are going well, we are working hard for each other and the manager deserves a pat on the back.
"He has shown us videos when we did not work back and fight for each other.
"When you see things like that on the screen with the manager standing there, it makes you want to fight harder for your team-mates."
Terry admits that the hard work is far from over and that the players will have to raise their game for next year's showpiece tournament.
"The improvement is there, but we have got to keep it going. There is no point doing it over seven qualifiers and then standing still for a year. The key is to keep steadily improving."
Inspiration
The England skipper was full of praise for team-mate Wayne Rooney who matched Sir Geoff Hurst's goal tally of 24 with a brace against Andorra on Wednesday.
"Being in tournaments with him, Wayne has been the one who can unlock things and break defences down," said the England captain.
"Even away from his goalscoring record, which is fantastic at the minute and he is in a great vein of form, his build-up play and link-up play is some of the best around.
"Wayne gives an awful lot more to the side than just his goals.
"Obviously it has been disappointing for him in the last two tournaments, but in the build-up to both of them he was in great form before the injury and then the sending-off.
"Wayne will want to stay fit and stay away from those things - but he has grown up an awful lot and I think we are seeing that in his performances."
Keen to encourage fringe players, Terry warned that regular appearances at club level were essential in order to break through to the first team.
"If they are not playing for their clubs, it does not matter who is in charge of the England side because they are not going to get a chance to show what they can do at the very top," he said.
"That is why I stress it is important for English players to get out and play some football."
